Officers will deal with gathering proof reasonably than making arrests, says Met police
The Metropolitan police has launched an announcement after the excessive courtroom’s ruling this morning, warning that the proscription stays in place and so displaying help for Palestine Action remains to be a felony offence.
The Met acknowledged that the “uncommon circumstances” might trigger some confusion among the many public as to what occurs subsequent, it stated that officers will “proceed to establish offences the place help for Palestine Motion is being expressed, however they may deal with gathering proof of these offences and the folks concerned to offer alternatives for enforcement at a later date, reasonably than making arrests on the time”.
It added: “That is probably the most proportionate strategy we will take, acknowledging the choice reached by the courtroom whereas recognising that proceedings will not be but absolutely concluded.
“This strategy relates solely to the expression of help for Palestine Motion. We’ll proceed to intervene and make arrests the place we see folks crossing the road from lawful protest to intimidate, to break property, to make use of violence, to fire up racial hatred or to commit different offences.”
Key occasions
Vikram Dodd
The Met police stated it can cease arresting folks for displaying help for Palestine motion following the excessive courtroom ruling, however will collect proof for potential future prosecution.
The Met, which covers London and is anticipating exhibits of help for Palestine Action as quickly as at the moment, stated:
The group stays proscribed pending the result of any Authorities enchantment, which implies expressing help remains to be a felony offence.
We recognise these are uncommon circumstances and there’ll possible be some confusion among the many public as to what occurs subsequent.
From a Metropolitan police perspective, officers will proceed to establish offences the place help for Palestine Motion is being expressed, however they may deal with gathering proof of these offences and the folks concerned to offer alternatives for enforcement at a later date, reasonably than making arrests on the time.
That is probably the most proportionate strategy we will take, acknowledging the choice reached by the courtroom whereas recognising that proceedings will not be but absolutely concluded.
This strategy relates solely to the expression of help for Palestine Motion. We’ll proceed to intervene and make arrests the place we see folks crossing the road from lawful protest to intimidate, to break property, to make use of violence, to fire up racial hatred or to commit different offences.
We’re conscious that this choice comes at a time when the influence of a chronic interval of serious protest continues to be felt by communities throughout London, particularly Jewish communities. We’ll proceed to take an assertive and decided strategy to coping with antisemitism and different hate crime, appearing decisively towards anybody who tries to make use of the quilt of protest to trigger concern and misery to Londoners.
The ruling presents different speedy challenges for police and prosecutors who needed to execute the authorized ban, with lots of arrested for displaying help for Palestine Motion, and thus deemed to be breaking terrorism legal guidelines.
The primary instances of individuals charged with breaking terrorism legal guidelines due to the ban are simply weeks away.
One supply stated there was an “air of uncertainty” about whether or not such instances would proceed. Additional path from the excessive courtroom is predicted quickly.
Officers will deal with gathering proof reasonably than making arrests, says Met police
The Metropolitan police has launched an announcement after the excessive courtroom’s ruling this morning, warning that the proscription stays in place and so displaying help for Palestine Action remains to be a felony offence.
The Met acknowledged that the “uncommon circumstances” might trigger some confusion among the many public as to what occurs subsequent, it stated that officers will “proceed to establish offences the place help for Palestine Motion is being expressed, however they may deal with gathering proof of these offences and the folks concerned to offer alternatives for enforcement at a later date, reasonably than making arrests on the time”.
It added: “That is probably the most proportionate strategy we will take, acknowledging the choice reached by the courtroom whereas recognising that proceedings will not be but absolutely concluded.
“This strategy relates solely to the expression of help for Palestine Motion. We’ll proceed to intervene and make arrests the place we see folks crossing the road from lawful protest to intimidate, to break property, to make use of violence, to fire up racial hatred or to commit different offences.”
Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham and residential affairs spokesperson, stated the ban was a “grave misuse of terrorism legal guidelines”.
“Inserting Palestine Action in the identical authorized class as Isis was disproportionate and risked undermining public belief and civil liberties,” he stated.
“This ruling doesn’t place anybody above the regulation. Any particular person members of Palestine Motion who’re accused of significant offences equivalent to vandalism and violent dysfunction needs to be investigated, prosecuted and, if convicted, sentenced accordingly.
“However these are potential felony acts and never akin to the horrors of terrorism.”
Shami Chakrabarti, a Labour peer and former shadow legal professional normal, stated the ruling “will resonate with the frequent sense of most individuals in Britain” and that she hoped “the federal government will pay attention”.
She added: “While a really small quantity of Palestine Motion’s exercise met the definition of “terrorism”, the choice to proscribe the entire organisation and its many peaceable supporters was disproportionate.
“Let these engaged in felony injury be prosecuted however don’t make peaceable protesters responsible by affiliation.”
Yvette Cooper ought to resign, say Palestine Motion activists
Palestine Motion activists have referred to as for former dwelling secretary Yvette Cooper, who made the choice to proscribe the group final 12 months, to resign.
In a speech exterior the excessive courtroom this morning, activist Lisa Minerva Luxx stated: “They (excessive courtroom judges) will not be saying it’s illegal now, they’re saying it was all the time illegal.
“Which means that Yvette Cooper lied to the British public, lied to get it (the ban) by the Home of Commons, she even lied to parliament.
“She lied when she stated that she had intelligence on disturbing plans, she lied about nefarious funding and the courts have confirmed that none of that was true. She can’t be trusted to function a minister of this nation in any capability and he or she should resign at the moment.”
Luxx additionally referred to as for the present dwelling secretary Shabana Mahmood and for prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to resign, including: “The British authorities have betrayed the British folks and this can be a tiny morsel of a taster of how a lot they betrayed Palestinian folks.
“The Authorities paid almost one million kilos to persecute British folks for having an ethical compass that was at odds with their overseas pursuits.”
Cooper, now overseas secretary, and Starmer haven’t but publicly commented on the ruling. Mahmood stated she intends to enchantment towards the excessive courtroom’s choice.
Becoming a member of requires costs made towards protesters to be dropped is Inexperienced get together chief Zack Polanski.
In an announcement, he stated:
The courtroom has dominated that the federal government’s authoritarian ban on Palestine Motion was illegal.
Now it’s time for the federal government to cease criminalising the folks protesting a genocide – and begin ending the UK’s complicity.
Over 2,700 folks have up to now been arrested for holding an indication opposing genocide and the proscription of Palestine Motion.
These already charged ought to have these costs dropped, and the Crown Prosecution (Service) ought to discontinue motion towards all these arrested.
We’re getting a number of response from rights and activist teams to the excessive courtroom’s ruling this morning, a lot of them calling for the fees towards protesters who’ve confirmed help for Palestine Action to be dropped.
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Tom Southerden, Amnesty Worldwide UK’s regulation and human rights director, described the ruling as a “very important affirmation of the precise to protest”. He added: “The excessive courtroom’s choice sends a transparent message: the federal government can not merely attain for sweeping counter‑terrorism powers to silence critics or suppress dissent … it attracts an vital line within the sand towards makes an attempt to slim the democratic house and undermine public confidence in the precise to talk out.
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Greenpeace UK’s co-executive director Areeba Hamid stated the federal government’s choice to ban a protest group “is the stuff of dystopian novels”. She added: “Arresting hundreds of protesters – a lot of them pensioners who had been merely holding indicators – is the stuff of satire. Hopefully this ruling will ship a much-needed actuality test.”
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Yasmine Ahmed, UK director of Human Rights Watch, referred to as for a “thorough and unbiased investigation” on the federal government’s choice to proscribe Palestine Motion. She stated the courtroom’s ruling “reinforces what many people having been saying all along- that the federal government’s misuse of terrorism laws was a brazen and gross abuse of energy that served to stifle reputable criticism of Israel and people cashing in on its atrocities”.
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Cease the Warfare Coalition has referred to as on the Metropolitan police commissioner Mark Rowley and former dwelling secretary Yvette Cooper to resign. Lindsey German, convener of the Cease the Warfare, stated: “Now the CPS should drop all the fees towards these wrongly arrested and imprisoned with out trial for peacefully protesting a genocide.”
Earlier than the ban, Palestine Action had used direct motion to focus on Israeli-linked firms within the UK, from occupying buildings and blocking entry, to extra disruptive strategies equivalent to spray-painting and damaging gear. It significantly targeted its demonstrations towards factories of Israeli weapons producer Elbit Programs, which the group describes on its web site as its “foremost goal”.
Based in 2020 by activists Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard, Palestine Action campaigns towards firms that it says are complicit within the “occupation, apartheid and genocide of Palestine”. Within the wake of Israel’s warfare on Gaza, the group’s demonstrations intensified.
For the reason that ban took impact, hundreds of arrests have been linked to help for Palestine Motion below terrorism legal guidelines, in addition to ongoing protests and authorized challenges. Critics of the ban argue that damaging property doesn’t quantity to terrorism, with the UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, commenting that the proscription “seems disproportionate and pointless”.
The federal government has argued that the ban was justified on nationwide safety grounds, and that it was proportionate given the alleged escalation within the group’s actions.
Proscription of Palestine Motion ‘disproportionate’, judges rule
The excessive courtroom upheld two grounds of problem, together with that the ban was a disproportionate interference with the precise to freedom of expression and freedom of meeting.
The president of the king’s bench division, Dame Victoria Sharp, sitting with Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn, stated that “Palestine Motion is an organisation that promotes its political trigger by criminality and encouragement of criminality”, however that proscription was nonetheless “disproportionate”.
In a 46-page judgment, she stated: “A really small variety of its actions have amounted to terrorist motion throughout the definition [of the Terrorism Act 2000].”
Residence secretary ‘dissatisfied’ by ruling, plans to enchantment
Residence secretary Shabana Mahmood stated she was ‘dissatisfied’ by the ruling and that she plans to enchantment it.
In an announcement, she stated:
I’m dissatisfied by the courtroom’s choice and disagree with the notion that banning this terrorist organisation is disproportionate.
“The proscription of Palestine Motion adopted a rigorous and evidence-based decision-making course of, endorsed by parliament. The proscription doesn’t stop peaceable protest in help of the Palestinian trigger, one other level on which the courtroom agrees.
“As a former lord chancellor, I’ve the deepest respect for our judiciary. Residence secretaries should nonetheless retain the flexibility to take motion to guard our nationwide safety and hold the general public secure. I intend to struggle this judgment within the courtroom of enchantment.”
Ban will keep in place till authorities decides on enchantment
Judges Victoria Sharp, Jonathan Swift and Karen Steyn stated the ban will stay in place whereas the federal government considers whether or not to enchantment.
A gaggle of protesters exterior the excessive courtroom erupted into cheers and chanted “Free Palestine” after the ruling was given, the PA information company reported.
Ammori: It is a monumental victory for basic freedoms and for Palestine
Ammori has launched an announcement describing the excessive courtroom’s ruling as a “monumental victory” and that the federal government proscribed Palestine Action as a terror group “in a Trumpian abuse of energy”.
She stated:
“It is a monumental victory each for our basic freedoms right here in Britain and within the wrestle for freedom for the Palestinian folks, hanging down a choice that may eternally be remembered as one of the excessive assaults on free speech in latest British historical past.
“Palestine Motion is the primary civil disobedience organisation that doesn’t advocate for violence to be proscribed by the British Authorities as a ‘terrorist’ group, in a Trumpian abuse of energy which might have seen this Labour Authorities proscribe the Suffragettes. This ban was illegal, ensuing within the illegal arrest of almost 3,000 folks – amongst them monks, vicars, former magistrates and retired docs – below terrorism legal guidelines for merely sitting in silence whereas holding indicators studying: ‘I oppose genocide – I help Palestine Motion’.
The co-founder of Palestine Action has received a authorized problem to the house secretary’s choice to ban the group below anti-terrorism legal guidelines.
The proscription of Palestine Action, which categorised it alongside the likes of Islamic State, was the primary of a direct motion protest group and attracted widespread condemnation in addition to a civil disobedience marketing campaign defying the ban, throughout which greater than 2,000 folks have been arrested.
On Friday, three judges, led by the president of the king’s bench division, Dame Victoria Sharp, dominated that the choice to proscribe the group was illegal.
Learn the total report by our authorized affairs correspondent Haroon Siddique right here:
UK ban on Palestine Motion illegal, excessive courtroom judges rule
Palestine Motion’s co-founder Huda Ammori has received a authorized problem towards the choice to proscribe the group below anti-terrorism legal guidelines.
Listed below are some photos from exterior the excessive courtroom coming by the newswires this morning:
The ruling, anticipated to start at 10am, comes after a gaggle of six Palestine Motion activists had been cleared of aggravated burglary final week over a break-in at an Israeli defence agency’s UK website.
The youngest of the group, Fatema Rajwani, 21, stated the verdicts had been a vindication of their trigger.
After 18 months in jail, she was launched on bail final Wednesday, having additionally been acquitted by a jury at Woolwich crown courtroom of violent dysfunction in relation to the raid on the Elbit Programs manufacturing unit in Filton, close to Bristol, on 6 August 2024.
Rajwani instructed the Guardian: “The verdicts are a mirrored image of the truth that the primary likelihood that the general public needed to resolve what occurred to us, they vindicated us. It’s plain to see that the British public are not looking for their residents to be scapegoated for this Labour authorities’s political goals, they don’t wish to be criminalised for supporting a folks’s inalienable proper to freedom, to dignity, and to self-determination.”
Learn the total report by our authorized affairs correspondent Haroon Siddique right here:
Opening abstract
The excessive courtroom is about to rule on whether or not the Residence Workplace’s choice to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group was lawful.
Huda Ammori, the co-founder of Palestine Action, took authorized motion towards the federal government to problem the choice by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper to ban the group below the Terrorism Act 2000.
The ban, which took impact on 5 July 2025, made membership of, or help for, the direct motion group a felony offence punishable by as much as 14 years in jail.
Throughout a listening to in November, a lawyer for Ammori instructed the courtroom in London that the ban was illegal and needs to be quashed, saying the group had engaged in an “honourable custom” of direct motion and civil disobedience previous to proscription.
The courtroom heard that there had been greater than 2,000 arrests after Palestine Motion’s proscription, together with “monks, lecturers, pensioners, retired British Military officers” and an “81-year-old former Justice of the Peace”.
Attorneys representing the Residence Workplace stated the proscription had had the supposed impact of “disrupting PA’s [Palestine Action] sample of escalatory conduct” and had “not prevented folks from protesting in favour of the Palestinian folks or towards Israel’s actions in Gaza”.
Comply with our weblog to get the most recent updates from the ruling.
